Learning from each other: Reciprocity in description between Wikipedians and librarians

Librarians, archivists, and museum professionals are increasingly realizing the value of using and contributing information to Wikipedia through projects such as edit-a-thons and the 1Lib1Ref project. As the amount of knowledge in Wikipedia and Wikidata grows, the benefits to libraries in partnering with Wikimedia projects to enhance their own bibliographic records and catalog search results also increase. Conversely, librarians have created an immense number of bibliographic and authority records that Wikipedia and Wikidata editors can use both as resources in and of themselves and as examples of various approaches to metadata and knowledge creation. Despite some challenges there are numerous benefits for working to integrate library data with Wikipedia more closely. This chapter will serve to highlight differences between Wikipedia resources and library catalog records, and how librarians and Wikipedians can learn from each other to improve description and discoverability in both Wikipedia and library catalogs for their respective users. It will also illustrate differences between these two systems in order to reduce confusion and errors when data are merged uncritically. The discussion draws on experience gained from a previous Illinois State University Research Grant-funded project that used the Wikipedia List of African-American writers to enhance library catalog records.

Affordable C. elegans tracking system for classroom use

For decades the nematode C. elegans has served as an outstanding research organism owing to its unsurpassed experimental amenability. This advantage has also made this tiny worm an attractive vehicle for science instruction across higher learning institutions. However, the prohibitive cost associated with the automated behavioral assessment of these animals remains an obstacle preventing their full adoption in undergraduate and high school settings. To improve this situation, we developed an inexpensive worm tracking system for use by high school interns and undergraduate students. Over the past two years this tracker has been successfully used by undergraduate students in our introductory Cell and Molecular lab (BSC220) at Illinois State University. Here we describe and demonstrate the use of our inexpensive worm tracking system.

Influence of Gender on Perceptions of Barriers to a Police Patrol Career

Policing as an institution has been under immense pressure to increase the representation of women as police patrol officers. As the representation of women in policing has plateaued, increasing research has focused on barriers to women entering patrol work but has not examined the salience of these barriers with respect to males or reliably determined which barriers are most influential to desire to enter a police patrol career prior to employment. Drawing upon survey responses from more than 640 students enrolled in criminal justice courses across five universities (i.e., University of Southern Mississippi, Illinois State University, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Indiana University-Purdue University Indiana, and Missouri State University), the current inquiry examines the degree to which female and male students differ in their perceptions of barriers to entering a patrol career frequently listed in the literature. The findings indicate that female students view many of these obstacles differently than male students and that these perceptions influence interest in patrol careers.

Digging Up the Past: Archival Issues with Found Time Capsules at Illinois State University

During the demolition of an Illinois State University dormitory in the spring of 2016, workers discovered two time capsules. Tasked with their care, the university archivist looked for archival guidance on the safe handling of time capsules, best practices for working with their contents while balancing public demand for access. This case study examines the time capsule as an object of collective memory, how it fits into an institutional collection, the archivist's work to document and recover materials in two recently discovered time capsules, and how to work with multiple institutional departments to make them accessible. It suggests best practices for time capsule discoveries and outreach.

Shively, Rachel (2018). Learning and using conversational humor in a second language during study abroad. Berlin, Germany: de Gruyter.

This book review focuses on the monographic volume, Learning and using conversational humor in a second language during study abroad, written by Rachel Shively (Illinois State University) and published in 2018 by de Gruyter. The book offers a thorough ethnographic study of L2 Spanish students’ use and appropriation of conversational humor and humorous strategies during a semester abroad in Toledo, Spain. Shively also discusses the pedagogical implications of her study and provides practical examples of how humor can be introduced in the L2 classroom.

96 Effect of 30% wet brewer’s grain inclusion on the growth and carcass performance of finishing cattle

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of wet brewer’s grain (WBG) inclusion on the growth and carcass performance of finishing cattle. Forty-eight (n = 48; 30 steers [414 kg] and 18 heifers [373 kg]) Simmental-Angus beef calves were finished at the Illinois State University Farm. Calves were blocked by weight within sex, randomly assigned to one of two dietary treatments, and fed for 119 or 154 days in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Dietary treatments included a corn silage-whole shelled corn finishing diet (CON) and CON + 30% WBG for the first half of the finishing period (WB). Diets were mixed daily and feed was offered once daily. Daily feed offered was adjusted based on biweekly bunk scores and feed refusal data collected every 7 d. Two-day weights were taken every 28 days, averaged, and used to calculate Average Daily Gain (ADG), Average Daily Feed Intake (ADFD), and Gain to Feed (G:F). Cattle were visually appraised for degree of finish by an industry procurement agent, and transported 159km in two groups (119 and 154 days on feed (DOF); average final body weight of 620kg) for processing under USDA-FSIS inspection. Following slaughter, standard USDA carcass data (quality and yield grade) were collected. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing the MIXED procedure of SAS. Feeding WBG improved final live weight (P = 0.008), ADG (P = 0.039), and G:F (P = 0.005) regardless of days on feed. Following WBG inclusion, hot carcass weight increased at 154 DOF (P = 0.0071). Dressing percentage, ribeye area, 12th Rib Fat thickness, marbling score, and yield grade were not significantly impacted by treatment (P > 0.05). In this study, early inclusion of WBG supported growth and carcass performance; however, additional research examining performance differences based on DOF is warranted.

Exploring the Future of the Teaching Materials Center at Illinois State University: From e-Textbooks to Makerspaces

In this project, co-investigators explored how college and university curriculum centers are addressing challenges with K-12 electronic textbooks (particularly acquisition, cataloging, and access) and implementing technology-focused services for pre-service teachers. The results of this research have provided guidance for planning the future of the curriculum center in Milner Library at Illinois State University, which comprises 2.5% of the library’s holdings and accounts for almost 25% of the library’s circulation. We identified service gaps and opportunities for improvement and are in the process of acting upon our findings, such as leveraging campus partnerships, integrating makerspace technologies, and exploring different models for ordering and processing the collection